Dead or Alive: The Fight to Live
by mud slinger
Summary: This is the story of DOA 2: Hardcore. This is the tale that surrounds the death of Fame Douglas and follows the heros from the game in my version of their adventures.
1. Calling to Fight

Disclaimer: I do not own DOA or any of it's characters. Though the story is mine and any other characters I choose to put in are mine as well. I haven't played DOA 1 or DOA 3, but I just recently played DOA 2: Hardcore, so this will be based on that story.  
  
  
  
Dead or Alive: The Fight to Live  
  
Chapter 1 Calling to Fight  
  
The disaster of Tengu at the end of the century left Fame Douglas dead. He was a sponsor of the "Dead or Alive" tournament, a tournament that places the best fighters from around the world into a variety of matches against one another until there is only one winner. Now, the tournaments significance and honor code had died with him and only a handful of fighters have the skills and courage to stop the person behind Douglas's death. The calling to fight has begun and a few brave souls will go head to head and fight for honor and to find the man responsible for the death of the legendary Fame Douglas.  
  
  
  
Kasumi held her fighting stance strong as her opponent charge her. When he was no more then five feet away, she whipped her body around and let a spinning wheel kick fly out. Her right leg made such an impact on her attacker, he spun several times before crashing hard into the ground. He continued rolling until he got to his feet.  
  
"Don't do this to yourself. You can't win," Kasumi spoke panting for air slightly. He man screamed more with rage and charged again. As he closed the distance, he pulled a small metal object out and tried to lunge with it.  
  
Kasumi charged him as well pulling her short sword out and sliced once. Both of them had their backs facing one another. The man let out a small cry and dropped the now visible combat knife to the ground. Blood fell to the damp dirt as the man dropped to his knees. Kasumi didn't move from her position, still panting, more heavily then before.  
  
He unknown fighter fell on his stomach. Kasumi turned to see a vast pool of blood drawing away from his body. The grassy field moved slightly as a cool breeze came across the area. The sun was setting now and the beautiful reds and oranges appeared in the sky. Only two clouds were in the sky, both of them on opposite sides of the setting sun.  
  
It was captivating, but she couldn't think of the beautiful scene right now. There was a dead man behind her, trying to attack her for whatever his reasons. She turned, the breeze blowing her long red hair back a little. He whitish-pink dress also got blown a little from the wind. Slowly, she approached the man on the dirt. She knelt beside him, cautiously rolling him over on his back. She saw the gash she had made. It was a deep slice right in his abdomen. Kasumi then wiped the blood stained blade on the fallen mans dark green shirt. She placed the blade back in its case that was on her back. As she was standing, the man reached up with a blood-filled hand and grabbed her left wrist and pulled her back to his side.  
  
"You must-stop him. He can-n't be allowed t-to l-live," he said in his final breaths. "I have co-me to m-my journeys e-end. You mu-st fin- ish i-it." he said letting go of her and let out his last breath. She saw a letter sticking out of his pant pocket it. It was for the "Dead or Alive Tournament."  
  
Kasumi looked at the mans lifeless eyes. She placed a hand over them and gently closed his eyes. She stood up watching as the sun had given its last flickers of light. She did not know who the man was, but knew what he wanted. He was fighting for the sake of the tournament.  
  
"How did you find me?" she asked herself quietly. She shuddered as she began to jog into the fading darkness of the grass field holding the letter tightly in her hand.  
  
  
  
The bar Zack was in was loud, smoke filled, and rockin'! His hair was spiked fully and died green. His green and black cargo pants matched his skin color and his hair perfectly. Also his sleeveless green and black vest completed the outfit. His boots clanked on the wooden floor in a unknown bar in an unknown country. He hadn't known where he had been for the last three hours and was having a difficult time understanding the language being used.  
  
Though right now, it didn't matter. He was just having a good time like everyone else was. There were spot lights that flashed every so often, but other then that, the bar was very dark. He could see a bar counter lit up with pink neon lighting that spelled some foreign word. Some unknown music was blasting and the bar bounced with it and that was all that mattered to him right now. He walked in a little further through the sea of people and saw a woman with blonde hair check him over.  
  
He pulled down the shades he was wearing and walked over to her. "And my, my, aren't we fine lookin' tonight!" he said smiling widely. She placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him over to the bar counter. He followed without any resistance.  
  
Zack sat down with his newly acquired friend and ordered what she had ordered. He could not understand a word of what she was saying, but he did not care in the least. "So, you got a place round here?" he asked smiling still.  
  
She turned her head to the side raising her brow a little, puzzled. She made a gesture that he understood. She shrugged raising her hands slightly.  
  
"A P-L-A-C-E to have P-U-S-H, P-U-S-H. You know what P-U-S-H, P-U-S- H is right?" he asked smiling devilishly.  
  
A hand landed on his left shoulder and spoke directly to him. "Is your name Zack, by any chance?" the man asked lightly.  
  
Zack brushed the mans hand of with one of his hands not looking away from the woman. "Look man, come back lata, I'm busy right now," he said still staring at the woman.  
  
The hand fell on his left shoulder again and tightened this time. "This will only take a minute if you cooperate," the deep voice said barely audible with the loud music.  
  
Zack again flipped the hand off his shoulder. Still without looking he spoke to the man. "Look pal, I'm trying to mack with this chick, come back lata," he said more irritated this time.  
  
One more time the hand fell onto his shoulder, this time lifting him from the bar stool. The man had short blonde hair and light blue eyes flaring with anger. "Is your name Zack!?" he screamed lifting him from the floor. The man was easily over 6'6".  
  
"Uhh, mo-no, no. Heh hehe. I heard a guy say his name was Zack right over there though," he said smiling weakly pointing to his left.  
  
The large man stood there for a second and slowly turned his head the way he was informed. As he did, Zack brought up his beer bottle and smashed it over his head. The mans head only turned slowly back to face him. The man seemed to start growling at him.  
  
"Heh, accident," he whispered. He then gave two fast but hard strikes on both sides of the mans torso. Zack winced a little from impacting the mans almost solid chest. Zack's weak smile fading quickly, brought his knee in between the tall mans legs. He only grunted a little when his knee found its mark.  
  
"Really? NO!" Zack said in disbelief. He then used both of his legs and targeted the mans knees. The tall man screamed out and let him go. Zack quickly got into his fighting stance and cracked his neck on both sides. "You don't want none-a-dis, bro," he said with his fists closing tightly.  
  
"You know not of what you speak of," he said raising his hands in a defensive position as well. His large muscles flexing and growing larger in the green top tank the man was wearing.  
  
Zack watched as muscle built up on top of muscle. "Well, ain't that somethin.' Gotta get me one of those," he said smirking at the larger man. "I'll give you a free shot if you tell me how your mama made me feel last night," Zack smiled as the man lit up with rage.  
  
The large man charged screaming as he did. He threw a front kick with all of his might behind it with his right leg. Zack spun to his right catching the kick in his right arm. His back was now up against the large blondes chest. Zack threw one, two elbow shots to his head. The man staggered and grew a little limp by the sudden surprise shots.  
  
"You tried," Zack said raising the right leg up and pushing backwards. They both fell to the floor. Zack used the back of his head and rammed it into the large man's nose. The large man made a strange noise before passing out. He rolled off the man and saw a DOA tag on his shirt. He searched the man until he found a letter. He took in and stuffed it into his pocket. "Bigger they are, well, the dumber they are too," Zack said smiling standing up. He sat back down at the bar next to the blonde woman, who was in shock, but smiled at him. "All this violence makes me CRAZY! Do you know what P-U-S-H, P-U-S-H is?"  
  
  
  
An old man, sitting Indian-style near a shallow stream, meditated in a grassland of China. The smell of plant foliage and wild flowers, were abundant. He sat quietly between to large trees and felt one with nature and himself. He went by the name Gen Fu. He slowly opened his eyes to see the small stream flowing, sparkling a little by the setting sun. He turned to the right and saw one of his students approach him from the Dojo that was located near the stream.  
  
"Master Fu, there is some one here that claims to know you. He said that you two are old sparring partners?" the young student said unsure of the answer himself.  
  
Gen Fu thought for a few moments. "Humph. Well, send them I suppose," he said going back to his meditation. A few moments later a middle aged man was standing in front of him. He looked to be about thirty or so. "You weren't ever one of my sparring partners. What do you want?" he asked still sitting, closing his eyes again.  
  
"My name is Han Griterstien and I am here to fight you and claim my spot in the Dead or Alive Tournament!" he said in a thick German accent. He dropped the bag he was holding and took off his leather coat and revealed a black T-shirt. His pants were black khaki's and seemed loose.  
  
"HA! I fight for the tournament, eh?" he said standing up slowly. "The tournament has fallen a part and is corrupted by that, uh, whoever is running it now. Fighting for the money, or the glory?" he asked dusting his green gee off a little.  
  
"You were on a list of names along with several others. I was one of them. Did you not receive a letter telling you that you are apart of the fight?" he asked taken back a little, lowering his defenses.  
  
"My granddaughter is dying from some strange illness. This 'tournament' does pay money for the winner, but what will that cost be to get there? This isn't a game. People die in this fight. But if this was the letter you were referring to, then yes, I know about it," he said throwing a letter at the man that he had taken from a pocket on the inside of his gee. "We do this one of two ways. One, you leave now, go fight some one else and who knows, maybe you'll be able to fight me later down the road. Or two, I end your life here today," he said with sincerity in his old raspy voice.  
  
Han laughed a little. "You underestimate me, old man," he said raising his fists. Gen Fu's eyes narrowed by the remark.  
  
"Tempt not a desperate man," he whispered stepping forward with his left leg. He brought both hands out in front and readied himself. Han began bouncing back and forth now in his full fighting stance and approached Gen Fu carefully. "Afraid the old man may bite?" he asked laughingly.  
  
Han grew angry at the remark and came in with a powerful ax kick. He brought his left leg straight into the air and came crashing down very quickly on nothing. Gen Fu had side-stepped right and completely avoided the kick. Han quickly through a spinning back kick in Gen Fu's direction and again hit nothing. But something came in contact with the leg. Gen Fu had kicked the leg to the ground and threw a reverse punch with his right hand, scoring a clean hit to Han's face.  
  
Gen Fu quickly followed up with a palm strike to the throat with the left hand and followed that with a right hand ridge-hand to his chest. Han stumbled back choking for air. He straightened up and went in again with a jump kick. Gen Fu avoided the attack by stepping to the left and threw a jumping spinning back kick sending Han in a completely different direction then what he anticipated. Han crashed into a tree with a tremendous amount of force.  
  
"Not bad, for an old man," he said standing up, brushing himself off. He readied himself again for the next attack the old man may throw.  
  
Gen Fu walked up to Han and threw a quick, low round kick to the back of his knee. Han's right knee went straight to the ground and Gen Fu wasted no time in throwing a right elbow to his throat sending him to his back.  
  
Han coughed repeatedly trying to suck in as much air as he could. He was on his back staring straight up into the sky holding his throat when Gen Fu appeared over him. "How is that possible?" he asked staring at the old man in disbelief.  
  
"It doesn't take power, or technique. It requires intelligence and predictability. You telegraphed every one of your moves," he replied looking down at the man. Han reached for a knife that was concealed behind his back. Without a moments hesitation, Gen Fu grabbed one small throwing knife from his left sleeve and embedded it in his chest. "You see, predictability," he whispered as Han cried out in shock as the knife dug deep in his chest. "I warned you my friend. I gave you your chance," he said turning from the fallen man.  
  
Gen Fu walked to the bank of the small stream and sat down again and began to meditate. He folded his hands as the sun disappeared into the horizon. "For my granddaughters sake, let me win this tournament," he said praying silently. He closed his eyes and listened to the calming current of the stream.  
  
  
  
It was a hot night in the University of Florida campus. It was always hot in Florida, night, day, rain, hail, tidal wave, or whatever. It was always hot. Lei Fang was in her apartment trying to fix the air conditioning. The young Chinese girl was only wearing a black sports bra and a pair of short shorts, and was sweating uncontrollably. She hit the sides of the air conditioning several times but nothing happened.  
  
"Come to America. Get your education here. Pay us for the education, a ridiculous amount of money, but don't die off to early from the heat, we need your money anyway," she whispered to herself. She walked away from the window and the useless air conditioner into her small living room. Only a couch and TV could fit in the small room. The bed room was not any better either. The bed only allowed two feet of walking space on the sides before you crashed into the wall. The kitchen was crowed as well. Only a few feet of walking room as well. On both sides was either a refrigerator, (that didn't work) a stove, a dish washer, or the cabinets. The bath room was the largest room in the apartment.  
  
"God, why did I come here? Why did I want to live in this hell hole?" she asked herself as a white envelope slid underneath her door. She walked to the door and unlocked it. Opening it, she cautiously stock her head out and looked both ways of the small hallway quickly, but saw no sign of the person that had dropped the letter off.  
  
Lei Fang quickly brought her head back in and closed the door. She used the dead bolt and picked up the envelope. It read: 'Ms. Lei Fang'  
  
"God, please, I paid that stupid landlord his money!" she said tearing the envelope open. She unfolded the paper quickly and began reading quickly. "Huh?" she said out loud confused. The letter read:  
  
'Ms. Lei Fang, I have been watching you for quite sometime. Can you still fight? Heh hehe, I hope so. I hope your, education is going, well. The sponsor for the Dead of Alive tournament is dead, but in his "honor and memory" we are hosting another. We have assembled a list of people that will be fighting as well and given references on where to find them. If you need a visual, we have "established" that as well. Go to a computer with Internet access and type www.doahardcore.net. Hehe, I'm sure that information will be, useful to you.  
  
There will also be a reward for the winner and it is quite a large sum of money. You see, money has no value to me, so name the price. But don't let me get ahead of myself, you have to win. It is imperative that you take this letter with you, where ever you go. You will be disqualified if found without it. This helps "find" your opponents. Use what you need, anything goes. Try not to be "defeated" to soon. That would be a pity.'  
  
Lei was shocked for a few moments and quickly placed the letter on the table in the dinning room/entrance to the apartment. "Where does some one get off stalking another person. Freaks. The Dead or Alive tournament is over with, completely corrupted," she said but froze when a knock came on her door. Lei quickly walked over to the door and looked through the eye piece and saw it was covered.  
  
"Excuse me, is the Lei Fangs residence? We have a package for her," the Russian sounding voice said.  
  
"What is it?" Lei asked quickly, her heart pounding. She quietly tiptoed to the cordless phone and brought it back to the door, just in case.  
  
"Camera lens, I think," the man called from the other side. Lei let out a sigh of relief. Her lens had finally arrived for her photography class.  
  
"Okay, sorry about that," she said unlocking the door. As the door opened she saw a man wearing a green barrette on his head and saw a military jacket that was left open. He had combat pants and boots on and looked coldly at her. She tried closing the door again, but he kicked it open with unreal force. She flew to the ground and watched as he approached her. "Get out!" she screamed looking at him studying her.  
  
"Get up. I want a, semi-challenging fight," he said letting her rise to her feet. She shuddered as she saw him staring are certain parts of her body. The man had a sick look in his eyes and that made her extremely uncomfortable.  
  
"What do you want? Money? Its in the dresser in the living room. Take it and go," she said still from the floor. She was terrified of the man but did her best not to show it.  
  
"I don't want money. Not from you at least. I am fighting in the tournament, just like you. Who knows, maybe I'll get more then I bargained for," he said smiling down at her.  
  
Lei stood up and let her anger flow through her. She got into her fighting stance and let her arms move freely. "I don't think so. This is my home, my rules," she said, her eyes narrowing.  
  
"Heh. Stop, you make me laugh. I am Bayman, the man that will have to 'teach' you several things in life," he said giving a mocking bow. As he was bowing, Lei brought up a kick with her left leg as fast as she could, but he managed to avoid getting hit and grabbed the leg tightly.  
  
Bayman shook his head from side to side. "That was a mistake," he said throwing her leg to the side, so she lost her balance and he charged in. He gave to quick jabs into her stomach and back handed her across the face. She fell to the ground shaking her head a little. She quickly pulled her beautiful brown hair back in a ponytail and stood up.  
  
"That was a mistake," she said throwing two crescent kicks one after the other, using both legs. Both kicks landed across Bayman's face. She turned to throw a spinning wheel kick, but by then Bayman was ready for it. Her left leg spun away from her body, hoping to land across Bayman's face, but he caught the kick. He raised her leg up and drove it straight into the ground. Leon let the limp leg fall back to the owner.  
  
Lei cried out grabbing her injured leg, bringing it up to her chest. She wrapped both her arms around her left leg and held it tightly. She straightened it out slowly and shook it out and stood back up. Bayman was in the kitchen, drinking a glass of warm orange juice.  
  
"Up so soon? Heh hehe hehe," he laughed a little. "This is broken, you know," he said smiling at her. "Fine, don't talk. There will be your time for screaming and pleading, trust me on that," he said placing the cup of orange juice down. He held up his hands and threw in a quick jab. Lei grabbed it and threw an open handed strike to his chest with the free hand with a good amount of force. Bayman stumbled backwards surprised as well.  
  
"There is more if you can handle it," she said with her still narrowed eyes on him. She tempted him by extending her left pointer finger and recoiled it several times.  
  
Bayman came in with a low jab but was blocked. Lei followed up with a hook punch, but Bayman was expecting it. He let the attack swing right by him and helped push her along so her back was to him. He wrapped his left arm around her throat and placed his right hand on her head. He applied pressure and leaned over her right shoulder.  
  
"How does it feel to know that I am about to break your neck?" he asked in a whisper.  
  
"H-how does it feel to know, that I a-am about to k-kick your face," she said choking slightly. Her right leg kicked straight up and her knee cracked into his nose. Bayman let go almost immediately. Lei turned to face him to only be hit hard by a counter he threw at her. He threw a well placed hook that landed right on her left cheek. Lei crashed on her counter top and found Bayman behind her pulling her up by her hair.  
  
"How does that feel?" he asked slamming her head back down on top the counter. He brought her head back up, but held tightly. "Want more?" he asked and as he did he slammed her head against the counter again.  
  
"This is for you!" she screamed as she flipped up her right leg in between his. Bayman cursed low and let her go. Her head throbbing, she straightened up and threw an elbow blindly behind her, luckily making contact with the side of his head.  
  
"You bitch," Bayman muttered as he placed her in a bear hug. He squeezed tightly and lifted her off the ground. Lei arched her back but couldn't make an attempt to head but him because her back was to him. She flipped up her legs again and made contact with his groin. Not once but twice. "OWW!" he screamed as he let her go.  
  
Lei dropped to the floor and tried picking herself up as fast as she could. It seemed like forever but once she was on her feet, Bayman elbowed her in the lower back sending her crashing forward.  
  
Bayman approached her quickly. He got a handful of her hair and dragged her to her bed. He threw her down on top of it and climbed on top of her. She swung several times but he caught the attacks. He pinned both of her hands with one of his hands and held them firmly above her head. Bayman then straddled her and placed both of his legs on opposite parts of her body.  
  
"What do you want?!" she screamed, knowing what was coming next.  
  
Bayman licked his lips. "That is obvious, isn't it?" he asked staring up and down her body. He loved how curvy her body was and a crazed look of lust came over him.  
  
"Excuse me, I do hope I am not interrupting anything, but the door was open and I thought I'd stop by," a man called from the door way.  
  
Bayman placed his free hand on Lei's throat and squeezed so she couldn't call for help. She wiggled as much as she could to try and get free. "Uh, could you shut the door. Me and my girlfriend are spending, quality time together," he said squeezing her throat a little harder.  
  
"Well then, I guess I'll be on my way," the man said and soon after he said that, the door closed. Bayman waited a few minutes then let go of her throat.  
  
"Now we can have some fun, eh?" he whispered kissing her roughly on her lips.  
  
Lei squirmed and managed to get free from the kiss for a moment. "Hel-!" she yelled but was drowned out by another kiss.  
  
"The lady doesn't want your kiss or what you want to give. Get off Lei Fang now, Bayman," the voice said from inside the apartment.  
  
Bayman used his free hand and hit Lei a few times in her head so she was somewhat dazed. "Now, let me see who this is," he said turning to face the man. He saw a Chinese man wearing a black silk shirt and black silk pants. The pants had a dragon design on them that was gold and red.  
  
"Jann Lee, at your service. Let her go," he said standing with his arms folded behind his back.  
  
Bayman stood on the bed and walked till he reached the end. He jumped down to the floor and held his fighting stance. "Mr. Lee, I was going to be paying you a visit as soon as I, cleaned myself up from her, heh hehe," he chuckled. He watched as Jann looked up over his left shoulder and nodded, obviously to Lei Fang to do something. He turned with a quick punch but fell off balance when she was still lying on the bed. "Damn," he whispered as he turned around quickly to be fed a jump kick that Jann had thrown. The kick hit him in his chest sending him crashing out of the window near the bed.  
  
"Come on, we must go," Jann said helping Lei up. He tried pulling her, but she was hesitant at first.  
  
"I thank you for saving me, I really am grateful, but why should I trust you?" she said tensing up a little.  
  
"You don't have to if you don't want to. But time is against us, I suggest we move," he said pulling her towards the door.  
  
"I need to pack a few things!" she said trying to reach her dresser.  
  
Jann pulled her by the wrist harder. "I will buy you what you need, but we should really leave now!" he said and as if on cue two men, dressed in black Ninja uniforms jumped through her other windows in her living room. The only visible parts of their bodies were their eyes. Everything else was concealed in the clothing they wore. Both of them had swords as well, neatly tucked behind their backs.  
  
"Who the hell are they?!" she screamed as Jann pulled her out of the door. She watched him as he pulled out what looked to be like a silver marble. Jann threw it in her doorway and had her eyes covered and a bright light flashed for a few seconds. There were two screams inside the room.  
  
Jann ran back inside the apartment and a sound of a fight broke out. Lei walked in to doorway and saw both of the Ninja's on the floor, either unconscious or dead.  
  
Lei gasped. "Are they-?"  
  
"We have to go," he cut in.  
  
"Did you-?" she said again in shock.  
  
"We are leaving," he said walking out of the door way.  
  
"Will they-?" she said still in shock.  
  
"Come on!" he screamed pulling her away from the door way. They ran down the steps and made it to the first floor. The apartment complex was only two floors. They ran out the door and down the street.  
  
"Where are you taking me?" Lei asked as Jann signaled for a taxi. "HEY! I'm talking to you!" she screamed pulling his arm down.  
  
"That letter you received in the mail was a trap. The person that sent it doesn't want you there in the tournament. He wants you dead because you're a threat to him," Jann said going back to trying to get a taxi.  
  
"That letter was a trap? Who wants me dead?" she asked not believing it.  
  
"You are a "good" person, that's why they want you dead. You may find another "good" person to team up with and then that could mess up their plans. Those letters have something like a homing beacon in them. That's how they found you and that's how I did too," he said stepping off the curb as a cab pulled up. "Come with me or not, you are in danger. Watch who you trust," he said opening the door of the cab and sitting inside.  
  
Lei looked at the sun light that surrounded her. She kicked herself for opening the door now, a Russian delivery man just seemed to unreal and Russian's were always bad guys in movies too. She had no where else to go right now, and standing in the broad daylight, wearing almost nothing didn't sound that appealing to her. She stepped in the cab and shut the door.  
  
"Well, where to?" she asked smiling a little at her hero.  
  
"To the air port. I have to find a few friends of mine," Jann said and the driver nodded his head.  
  
"Air port it is then," he said slowly driving away from the curb.  
  
Bayman shook his head as he saw a cab drive by. He saw Lei in it with Jann. "Damn. We will meet again, count on that," he whispered to himself. If it wasn't for the sticker bush he landed on, he could have been much worse off, but not by much. "I'll get you bastards for this," he said pulling a few stickers out of his leg. "I'll get you good." 


	2. The Trap Fails

Disclaimer: I do not own DOA or any of it's characters. Though the story is mine and any other characters I choose to put in are mine as well. I haven't played DOA 1 or DOA 3, but I just recently played DOA 2: Hardcore, so this will be based on that story.  
  
  
  
Dead or Alive: The Fight to Live  
  
Chapter 2 The Trap Fails  
  
The camera crew got into position and the shooting started. Tine Armstrong, a women's wrestling superstar, was taking part in a commercial for a new hit drink, "IcE." She wore a pink bikini holding the beverage in her right hand smiling.  
  
"Hey all, Tina Armstrong here. Can't find the perfect drink to cool you down on these hot summer days?" she asked in her giddy southern girl accent. "Try the too cold to hold beverage 'IcE.' It is guaranteed to quench your thirst and cool you down. But don't take my little ol' word for it, see for yourselves," she said taking a sip from the drink. She gave an exaggerated wink as the director finally called cut.  
  
"That was great, Tina," the director called out. "Five minute break everyone," he announced and came down from the directing chair.  
  
Tina flipped her hair out of her eyes and saw her agent, Jack Moore, approach her. "Jack honey, what is it now?" she asked in "tired" voice.  
  
"I don't know, Tina. I was wondering if you could tell me. This letter came for you and I was just checking to see if you wanted it, that's all," Jack said holding a white envelope out to her.  
  
"More fans, huh?" she asked taking the envelope from him. "Thanks. I think I can take it from here," she said motioning him to leave. She opened the letter and began reading quickly but slowed down at the contents of the letter.  
  
'Ah, Ms. Tina Armstrong, blonde beauty. I hope the shoot went well. Heh hehe. Tired of all of it and want a real fight? I am sure you do. You have been selected for the "Dead or Alive" fighting competition. It is in the loving memory of Fame Douglas and we hope to see you fight. We have assembled some names for you on who will be fighting and where you can go to get visual references if needed. Go to a computer that has Internet access and go to www.doahardcore.net for pictures of the fighters.  
  
I think I shall give you a warning as well. There are several fighters that have already "lost" in the matches and several others that are looking for people like you right now. One of which you can find outside in the parking lot. Heh hehe hehe. Ask me how I know another time. Try and last for a few fights, if you can. Also this letter must go with you where ever you go or you will be disqualified. Good luck young Tina, and I hope to see you in the "finales" soon. Heh hehe hehe.'  
  
"What?" she said out loud. "What a crock of crap that is," she said walking over to the garbage can. She was just about to let the letter fall out of her hand when she decided she would check it out first. She felt stupid about acting so childish but it was better then wasting away doing soda commercials for the rest of her life.  
  
She walked to her dressing room and put on a pair of tight jeans and wore high boots that fell just below her knees. She put on a red tank top that had laces that ran across the front and threw on a brown jacket. She walked out of her dressing room and walked down the hallway to the exit. She opened the door into the parking lot and squinted as the sun flooded her eyes.  
  
Tina walked out from the doorway and walked around the empty lot. Not empty as in no cars, every space was full, but empty as in no people. "Figures," she whispered as she turned to head back into the studio.  
  
"Oy, excuse me. Your Tina Armstrong, ain't ya?" a man called out with an Australian accent. She turned to see the man were a leather sleeveless vest that was open exposing his chest and wore loose beige pants that were held up by a belt. He even had what looked like snake skin boots. She almost laughed when she saw the hat that was folded on one side that had "gator" teeth circling the top of the hat.  
  
"Uh, yeah I am actually," she said smiling a little. She used her hands and pushed her loose hair behind her ears.  
  
"By golly, I knew it! I'm a uge fan of yours!" he screamed smiling back at her. She held back the laugh that was coming over her. She wanted to correct him, huge, not uge, but didn't.  
  
"Thanks. Glad to know I can still put on a good show for some people," she said walking to him slowly.  
  
"Yeah, but that's why I'm sorry I gotta do this. No hard feelings, a?" he said dropping down into a fighting position.  
  
"This is some joke. I had to admit, you had me with the whole letter thing. Who put you up to this, Jack?" she said smiling.  
  
"No way sista, this is for very real. I'll make this quick and I'll try not to kill ya, me being a fan and all," he said still in his fighting stance.  
  
"You can drop it, it isn't that funny anymore," she said walking back to the door. She turned her back and as she did, she felt an elbow come smash the back of her head. She fell forward dazed for a moment and spun around in her fighting stance. "This isn't funny!" she screamed looking at the man, still in his fighting stance.  
  
"I know, but it's the way it had to be," he said getting a strong side kick in her gut. She fell backwards and realized this was serious.  
  
The man charged her while she was on the floor. He stopped once he was standing over her and picked up his right leg and was about to bring it down when Tina performed a foot sweep taking out the left leg. The Australian fell to the asphalt hard. His hat fell off his head and he quickly stood up again. Tina did the same.  
  
"Give me your best shot," Tina said taunting the man. He nodded with a smile. He threw a right leg round-house kick as fast as he could. Tina stepped in and to the right slightly and caught the leg with her left arm. Her right arm grabbed his right shoulder and her right leg stepped behind his supporting leg and pushed. The man fell to the ground but Tina still had control of his leg. She then sat back, still holding onto the leg, and wrapped her left arm around the ankle. Her right hand grabbed his pant leg and her left hand gripped her right wrist tightly. She then sat back and applied pressure to the ankle.  
  
The Australian cried out as he brought his left leg up and made contact with Tina's face. He repeated until she finally let go. Both of the fighters quickly scrambled to their feet and stared each other down.  
  
"Nice moves," the Australian said. He quickly stepped in with a lunge punch, but Tina blocked it with her left arm and held his right hand. Her right hand made a quick shot to the right side of his neck and then wrapped around his neck and pulled him under her shoulder. She flipped her right leg up and made several connections with his face. He then picked her up and charged out of the parking lot onto the side walk where she kicked out his knee forcing him to drop her.  
  
Again both of the fighters got up and stared at each other. A small crowd of people stopped and watched as the two fight.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" she asked trying to stop the fight.  
  
"Money. The tournament winner gets a whole lot a money," he replied charging her one more time. She side stepped and pushed him in the same direction. He went straight into the road and oncoming traffic. The man didn't know what hit him until it happened. Brakes screeched across the pavement but could not stop. The Australian was hit and killed instantly.  
  
Tina looked down at the ground and felt sorry for him. "It was him or me, remember that," she said reassuringly to herself. She took out the letter she placed in her coat pocket and then ran to her Ford Explorer. She opened the door and was about to start the engine when she realized that she may turn into a fire ball. "Here we go again," she whispered as she got out of the SUV and ran out of the parking lot, to where, she wasn't yet sure.  
  
  
  
Ein stood on the beach in California. It would be dusk soon and he questioned himself constantly. Was he a martial arts instructor or was he something else? What, he didn't know. But whatever he was, he found peace by the sea. He was alone with the water and watched as the tide slowly, but steadily came in. His black jacket and black pants with matching boots didn't fit the beach attire, but he didn't care.  
  
"Why am I here?" he asked as the water slowly touched his feet. He looked down in wonder at the water. He knelt down and took a some in his hand. He let the water run through his fingers.  
  
He looked up and the sky and turned to head back to the hotel he was staying at. He didn't know where he was going or why, but he intended to keep following his heart. He walked off of the beach and crossed the busy street quickly. He looked up at the large sign that said Motel 6 and knew that was where he was staying. He pushed open the glass doors and walked in. As he walked through the lobby he saw the man that was behind the counter call him.  
  
"Excuse me, sir. This came for you while you were out," he said handing the small envelope to him.  
  
"Who sent it?" Ein asked staring down at the white envelope.  
  
"Not really sure, sir. The man said he was a friend of yours," the clerk said shrugging.  
  
"Right. Thank you," Ein said taking the envelope and walking to the elevators. He pressed the up button and waited for the elevator to reach the main floor.  
  
The doors finally opened and two people walked out, a man and a woman. 'A couple,' Ein thought. He walked in and pressed the fifth floor button. As the doors were closing a woman ran to the elevator.  
  
"Wait! Hold the door please!" she yelled. Ein placed his hand in between the doors so they wouldn't close. The woman walked in and smiled at him. "Thanks," she said. Her long blonde hair pulled back in a nice ponytail and her bangs fell in two parts outlining her face.  
  
Ein smiled. "No problem. That happens to me a lot," he said chuckling a little.  
  
"Yeah, me too," she said laughing a little while she was looking through her purse. She looked up at him and smiled. The smile quickly faded.  
  
Ein looked a little confused but let it go. But she continued to stare at him. "Do I know you?" he asked looking at her tilting his head a little.  
  
"Project Epsilon," she whispered, her hands slowly tensing.  
  
"What did you say?" he asked turning his whole body towards her.  
  
"I'm sorry, my name is Helena," she said holding out her hand in a positive gesture.  
  
Ein was stumped now but in an act of curtsey grasped her hand. "I am Ein," he said smiling.  
  
The door opened at the fourth floor and Ein looked down the hallway. Helena did as well. "Well that's me," she said quickly.  
  
"Me too," Ein said walking out of the elevator. Helena was close behind him. She turned right and walked down the hallway while Ein continued going straight. Ein turned to see if she was following him, but she wasn't.  
  
He reached his door and pulled out his key. He had a hard time opening the door but the key finally went in the slot. As he swung the door open, he felt something rather solid crack into his head. He dropped to his knees and both arms covered his head. Ein turned and saw Helena standing behind him in a very odd fighting position.  
  
"So I see that they no longer have any kind of mind control on you. Guess Epsilon failed," she said throwing three round house kicks in a row. The first and third landed on his back while the second hit his head. He rolled over shaking it off.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" he asked looking up at her.  
  
"Dead or Alive tournament. That envelope you have is almost like an invitation," she said throwing a few open handed strikes. Ein had had enough of the free shots and blocked them.  
  
"Why do you want to fight me then?" he asked standing in his fighting stance. "What is this mind control you are talking about?" he asked more concerned about the mind control then the actual fight.  
  
"Fighting for my own reasons!" she screamed jumping and throwing a kick, narrowly missing Ein's face.  
  
"I don't want to fight you and I know you don't want to fight me. Let's talk about this," he said lowering his hands. He watched her falter for a moment.  
  
Helena let her hands fall to their sides. "I'm sorry. I just am looking for someone in particular, that's all. You're the first person I have come across thus far that is in the fight as well. These letters help us find one another, must be some tracking device in the seal on the letter. Anyway, you can track other people with them," she said walking into his room a little further. She turned and closed the door.  
  
"Tracking device? How?" he asked shocked that she found him because of a letter.  
  
"The letter's seal, the small dragon on the back of the letter, changes color when one of the fighters is in a close proximity. But I found that there was a fighter in the tournament here by checking with a computer," she said searching through her purse.  
  
".." Ein looked at the letter he had placed in his pocket. He opened it and read it quickly. "This person knows a lot about me," he said looking up at Helena.  
  
"I know. Me too. The person that killed my mother is fighting in this and I was looking for that person, not you," she said pulling her letter out.  
  
Ein flipped it over and saw a small red dragon on the top left corner. "Changes color?" he asked again.  
  
"It's normally blue. I know how this will sound, but tomorrow morning I am going to China. Just about all of the competitors are there and would you like to come with me?" she asked looking at him.  
  
"Yeah, I suppose if I am in it. You said something about Epsilon, what does that mean?" he asked looking at her curiously.  
  
"Well, that's why I want you to go to China with me. There is some one that can help you with what you want to know," she said turning around heading for the door.  
  
"Why won't you tell me?" he asked heading after her.  
  
"Not my place to tell. Be careful tonight. If your up to it, meet me tomorrow morning in the lobby by 8:30. Okay?" she said opening the door.  
  
"Yeah, okay. Be careful? What is it your not telling me?" Ein asked after her but she just smiled and closed the door. "What the hell?!" he screamed. Frustrated, he went over and turned on the light switch. He looked at the one bed that was in the room and the TV that was directly across from it. "Right," he said walking into the bathroom. He opened the bathroom door and turned on the faucet and used his hands to cup some water. He took the water and splashed his face several times. He looked up at the mirror and grabbed a towel with one hand and turning the water off with the other. He dabbed his face lightly and saw something behind him.  
  
Ein turned and saw a man dressed in a Ninja outfit. The man lunged with a oddly shaped dagger and cut Ein's right shoulder. He cried out and countered with his left hand. A strong punch hit the man that was trying to kill him over his right eye. He fell back into the shower/bath tub and hit the wall. Ein took the knife from his hands and kicked him in the head knocking him out.  
  
"What am I missing here?!" he yelled out in anger. He ran out of his room and saw Helena coming towards him from the elevator.  
  
"I think we should leave now," she said quickly.  
  
"I want to know what's going on!" Ein demanded. "Who are you taking me too and why?!" he screamed. He watched Helena reveal an dagger that looked the same as the one he had just found. She hurled the knife towards Ein. He watched it all happen in slow motion. He twisted to his left as the knife flew past. He saw the man he thought he had knocked out take the knife in the throat.  
  
"We have to go," she said walking towards the elevator. The man cried as the dagger slashed his throat. Ein just watched as the man died. "Come with me or not, but you won't find what your looking for if you just stand there all day!" she yelled pressing a button inside the elevator.  
  
Ein ran as the doors closed. He just made it in and the elevator started to descend. "You don't have to tell me anything. As long as I find out what's going on and who I am, I don't care," he said simply.  
  
Helena sighed. "If things were only that simple. I will try to help you, but when we get to China and we don't find a few "certain" peoples, your on your own. I have my own business to attend to there," she said coldly.  
  
"All right. Fine. But I need money and unless you have plenty, I need to go back to my room," he said angry by he rudeness.  
  
"Take this," she said handing him a large wad of cash.  
  
"Where did you get this from?" he asked staring at all the money she just handed over to him.  
  
"Do you want it or not?" again she said coldly.  
  
Ein sighed. "Okay, I'll take it. Who are the people you are trying to find?" he asked as nicely as he could at the moment.  
  
She took a deep breath. "I don't know her, but you do. Trust me, you will know everything when we get there," she said trying to relax herself.  
  
The elevator reached the bottom floor and they both walked out quickly. They walked outside of the motel and called for a cab. Both Ein and Helena got in and told the driver to take them to the nearest airport there was to begin their adventure in China. Hopefully they would find some answers in China.  
  
  
  
Night came quickly in China. Ayane found herself in a bar outside the city of Nanking. She had received some "information" about another "Dead or Alive" tournament that was going to take place in China, the finales were anyway. She had already encountered four people that were on a list she had and disposed of all of them with relative ease.  
  
Ayane found absolutely nothing of interest in the bar so decided to leave. Before she did, she at least wanted a drink. She walked slowly to the counter in her purple butterfly outfit she had come to love. Also many of the men had recently come to love it as well as she was the center of attention the second she walked in.  
  
She reached the counter and sat down in an empty bar stool away from everyone. The bartender walked over to her, smiling. The pudgy man had a dirty looking mustache and had a double chin that made her slightly sick. His hair was greasy and he had a horrid odor coming from him.  
  
"What will you take, pretty girl?" he asked chuckling under his breath. Ayane narrowed her eyes but realized he wasn't worth it.  
  
With a sign, she began talking. "I would just like some water," she said checking the entire wrap around counter. The men sitting at the bar were staring, smoking their cigarettes, laughing amongst themselves. The men that were at the tables stopped their meals and even the guys playing pool stopped to stare.  
  
With a laugh, the bartender spoke thunderously. "Just some water for the pretty lady! HA HAHA!" he screamed out. Several other men let out laughs as well. "You sure you don't want something with more of a kick?" he asked leaning over the counter licking his lips.  
  
"I could kick your face if that is what your referring to," she said smiling. "Just the water, in a shot glass. I would like another shot glass empty as well," she requested giving him a sweet look.  
  
He scoffed. "Right. One shot glass of water and the other empty!" he let roar again. This time more people laughed at the remarks.  
  
One of the men that was previously playing pool took a stool next to her, still holding the pool stick. "How long you intend on staying, pretty girl?" he said touching her light purple hair. "Is that," he paused with a smile. "natural?" he asked chuckling.  
  
"Hmm, yes it is natural and I'm leaving now," she said standing up. The man put his hand on her shoulder pushing her back down to the seat.  
  
"I don't think so," he whispered into her ear softly.  
  
"Hmm, pity. I do," she said and with that her right hand grabbed the mans hand that was on her shoulder. She twisted until she heard several cracks and a cry of pain come from him. As soon as she did that, the others that were playing pool charged at her with pool sticks in hand.  
  
"The easy way or the hard way, girl! Your call!" cried one of the men that began to circle her.  
  
Ayane smiled as four men holding pool sticks closed the distance. The man that has a now broken wrist crawled behind the others cursing. "I'll go the easy way," she said sitting innocently on the bar stool.  
  
"Good choice," one of the men called. Ayane then kicked the bar stool the other man was in a few minutes ago at two of the men. Both raised their arms to fend off the oncoming stool. The other two charged in fast. The first man swung the pool stick high and Ayane just tilted her head and extended her leg until she hit the man in the gut. He staggered back.  
  
The second swung even with her chest. She held out her arm tight and let the stick break over her arm. The second man was stunned by this for a second, then charged in trying to stab her with the second half. She brought her leg up and kicked the stick out of the way. She then raised both legs even with the mans head and placed a foot on either side of his head and twisted, satisfied with the crack.  
  
As he fell lifelessly to the ground, several others from the tables stood up to help their "compatriots." Now the first man was refocused and came with an overhead attack with the stick. Ayane held up both her arms making an X above her head and the stick rested in between her arms. Again she raised her leg and kicked him in the gut sending him back.  
  
The other two that were hit with the stool came in screaming. Ayane took the empty shot glass and flung it at one of them, hitting him hard in the head. He fell to the ground holding a hand over his forehead. Ayane jumped down from the barstool and performed a flawless spinning wheel kick sending the other man over the bar counter. Another crack satisfied her as he flew over the counter.  
  
The first man, refocused and more determined then ever, swung low going up. As the stick came up, she grabbed it with her left hand and pulled it up and back. The man held tightly went forward and was hit yet again in the gut by another kick sending him back gasping for air.  
  
Ayane began walking towards the men that were standing near the pool table, all ready to fight. She stepped past the man that was still holding his head from the shot glass impact and brought her foot straight down and hard on his throat killing him.  
  
The others just watched in anger as she approached. She then charged one of the men that was standing in the center of the group and did a kick that was almost like a drop kick, but she was spinning rapidly. The man cried out as he was kicked hard into the wall, knocking over several pictures and shelves.  
  
"Enough! Let's get her!" one of them cried throwing a fast back fist towards her. She spun to the right letting him pass her and as he did, she brought her left hand around and a chuto chop to the back of his neck, killing him.  
  
Ayane watched as two men looked at each other then made a run for the exit. She picked up two balls from the pool table and hurled them at the two fleeing men. Both hitting their marks taking their targets down.  
  
"HA!" Cried a man that was sitting at the bar. "It's easy when these are fools that don't know the first thing on fighting. It's entirely different when you face someone that does!" a man called, turning from his spot at the bar. "I am the great Greg-garo! I imagine your one of the fighters," he said standing up. He wore all black leather. He had a long leather trench coat that touched the floor lightly. He had a black silk shirt underneath the trench coat and had black leather pants and boots.  
  
Ayane sighed as she faced him. "Great, another moron wanting an early grave. Let's get on with it," she said motioning for him to approach her. He smiled revealing a six inch knife.  
  
"Time to see if the cat can bleed," he said coming at her. Her left hand grabbed control of the right hand, the hand holding the blade and her right hand hit the elbow, making it bend. She the drove the knife hard into the "Great Greg-garo's belly. He made a weak grunt and fell over.  
  
"Anyone else?" she asked the last three men, the bartender, the first man with the pool stick, and the man with the broken wrist. A silence held for a minute. "Good," she said walking back to her stool. As she did the man with the broken wrist grabbed her right ankle. She brought her right leg up and crack the man in the head. He let go and fell unconscious. She sat back in her seat and drank the water from the shot glass.  
  
"W-would you like more?" the bar tender asked frightened. Ayane shook her head smiling. Ayane got up taking the shot glass with her and began heading for the door out. "Come back s-soon," he said weakly.  
  
"Will do. Sorry about the mess," she said chuckling. When she got to the door she heard the loading of a shotgun.  
  
"Now you hold it!" the bar tender said pulling a shotgun from underneath the counter. Ayane turned quickly throwing the small shot glass at the man. At that time, the first man that had the pool stick reached for a gun as well. The shot glass hit the bar tender in the head making him turn to his left and pull the trigger. The blast hit the last man standing and sent him flying into the back wall. No one was left standing besides Ayane.  
  
"Chinese," she said silently. "Can't trust them one bit," she said laughing, leaving the bar behind. 


	3. The Path to Kill

Disclaimer: I do not own DOA or any of it's characters. Though the story is mine and any other characters I choose to put in are mine as well. I haven't played DOA 1 or DOA 3, but I just recently played DOA 2: Hardcore, so this will be based on that story.  
  
  
  
Dead or Alive: The Fight to Live  
  
Chapter 3 The Path to Kill  
  
Kasumi awoke in a field, the sun shining brightly overhead. Her hand was still wrapped around the letter she had taken off the man she fought the other day. She stood up slowly, stretching out her arms and neck. She yawned and rubbed her face with both of her hands. She pulled her left hand away when she saw the dried blood that was still lingering on her hand and wrist.  
  
Kasumi began walking in no particular direction. She walked for a good twenty minutes before hitting a stream. She smiled happily and washed her left hand. She also dabbed the end of her dress in the water and brought it up to wash her face. Carefully with her right hand, she cupped some water from the stream and sipped. It was almost noon. The sun was almost directly overhead.  
  
"How long did I sleep?" she asked out loud.  
  
"Long enough, runaway shinobi!" cried out a voice from a pack of trees across the stream.  
  
Kasumi stood up and looked around frantically at the tree line for the voice. Three masked men, wearing Ninja attire appeared from behind the trees on the other opposite side of the stream. The one that was in the middle was dressed slightly different, she realized that that must have been the leader.  
  
"I don't want to fight you!" she called out getting in her fighting stance as the other two jumped across the six foot wide stream effortlessly.  
  
"We cannot let you go," the leader said from the other side of the stream. The first Ninja began his attack. He used a variety of hand combinations that Kasumi managed to defend properly. He then threw a few leg techniques that targeted her legs. One kick scored a shot to the back of her right knee. She twisted slightly and lost balance. As she lost her balance, he scored a front kick to her stomach.  
  
Kasumi fell back a few feet and landed on one knee. She looked up, angry for being forced into this situation. He charged in yelling and as he got closer, she used her left leg and kicked completely vertical. The kick hit directly under the mans chin sending him a few feet in the air. Kasumi that performed a jumping spinning wheel kick sent him flying into the other Ninja. The force had knocked both of them out cold.  
  
"Humph," the leader grunted hopping across the stream. As he landed, he drew his sword from it's sheath. The metal glistened as the sunlight hit the blade. "I will do this myself!" he barked as he charged her.  
  
Kasumi then removed her sword as well ready for the attack. As the leader charged, three small throwing knives dug into his right leg making him fall short. She saw a man she knew well appear from the tree line jumping toward the fallen leader. He landed just to the right of him and gave him a clean shot to the head, rendering him unconscious.  
  
"Ryu Hayabusa?!" she cried out surprised and glad to see him.  
  
"Kasumi, you have a letter, do you not?" he asked quickly, not caring for her surprise.  
  
Kasumi sighed and removed the letter. Ryu took it from her at once and tore it up in several pieces. A small black object fell from the envelope. Kasumi watched as it fell to the ground.  
  
"They were tracking the person that had this, weren't they?" Kasumi asked knowing the answer.  
  
Ryu nodded. "Yes. There is another tournament taking place now. This one is, a tad bit different. Many of the fighters are already dead, just like he wanted," Ryu said stepping on the small black object. "These small transmitters are inside the envelopes that are being sent to all the fighters that are involved in the fight so they can hunt each other. These men are not Shinobi. They were sent here to kill you," Ryu said removing the small knives from the fallen leader.  
  
"Why me?" she asked placing her weapon back in its case. "I'm supposed to be in the tournament?" she asked walking over to Ryu slowly.  
  
"Yes. As am I. Except I fear that there is a Tengu behind this," he said closing the distance between them.  
  
"What? Are you sure?" she asked taken back a little. Then again, now a days, anything could happen.  
  
"He has broken several Tengu codes and laws and wants the best fighters that pose a threat to him to kill each other off. We are doing his dirty deed," Ryu said taking her hand. "Quickly, we must find shelter," he said pulling her. They both ran as fast as they could through the forest they entered.  
  
"Where are we going?" Kasumi asked confused.  
  
"To meet a few people we can trust. Jann Lee hopefully found Lei Fang before the Tengu's servants did. We must get to an Nanking, that's where we agreed to meet," Ryu spoke quickly as he ran.  
  
"Jann Lee and Lei Fang? And the Tengu has people working for him?" she asked concerned.  
  
"Hopefully Helena is safe as well. She will be arriving today as well. And yes, the Tengu has men working under him. How, I am not sure. But those men that tried to kill you, tried to kill me earlier," he said slowing down. Kasumi did the same. Both panting and out of breath rested against some of the trees for a few minutes.  
  
Kasumi watched as Ryu studied their surroundings. She cared for him so much, but she doubted that he felt for her the way she did for him. "Ryu," she said and paused. He looked at her intently waiting for her to continue. "Never mind," she said looking away.  
  
Ryu nodded and continued studying the area. His eyes narrowed as he felt something very wrong. Kasumi also picked up on this. Something didn't feel right. There wasn't any sound of birds, or bugs, or any animal for that matter. "Come on! It's not to much farther before we hit a road. Then we can get to Nanking from there a lot faster then here," he said running through the thickening woods, Kasumi close behind.  
  
Kasumi started to catch up to Ryu as she saw it coming before he did, but could do nothing to warn him. Ryu ran straight into a knee that came out from behind one of the trees they were passing. Ryu tried to cry out, but couldn't get the air in his lungs to do so. A man stepped out from behind the tree wearing a turban. She knew who it was immediately.  
  
"Leon!" she cried getting ready to fight. He quickly did the same. He pushed Ryu over on his back with his foot. Ryu, in pain, continued rolling in the direction he was pushed to.  
  
"Your in my way, Kasumi," was all he said in a cold voice. He tightened his fists and made himself ready.  
  
"Don't do this! This is what the head of the tournament wants!" she cried as he charged in swinging powerfully. She block several of his hand combinations, but the power he was using was hurting her arms to block them.  
  
Leon then threw a hard front kick, scoring a clean shot in her stomach. He then continued bringing his leg above her and then dropped it straight down. The powerful ax kick landed on her right collar bone sending her down to one knee. Leon then extended his arm until it made hard contact with her chest. Kasumi was sent rolling back letting a whimper out as she finally stopped.  
  
Kasumi tried getting up as fast as her body would allow her, but she hurt so much. She could barely move her right arm, she feared that he may have broke her collar bone. Also the hit in her chest left her choking for air. She looked up as Leon focused on Ryu. Kasumi, using all of her strength just to stand, did so.  
  
"Leon! Come get me!" she cried out holding a weak fighting stance. Leon shook his head as he approached her.  
  
"Foolish child. You're killing yourself," he said stopping five feet away from her. He raised his hands and his right foot twisted, digging into the dirt.  
  
Kasumi gave a weak laugh. "You don't know anything about me, so do not think you of all people are getting the best of me," she said and as she finished, Leon charged in. Kasumi spun as fast as her body would allow her and let a spinning back kick hit Leon dead center of his chest. The kick pushed Leon back several feet and even Kasumi as well.  
  
Leon shook his head surprised. "Try that again!" he screamed running at her. Kasumi charged as well. She the jumped in the air and as she did, she flipped. While she was flipping, she brought both her legs up quickly, landing a hard shot under Leon's chin. She continued letting her body move in mid air and as she was upright again, she used both legs and kicked him in his chest, sending him to the ground. Kasumi finally landed back on the ground and looked down and Leon who was trying to stand.  
  
"Stay down, please!" she yelled at deaf ears. Kasumi was just about to attack when Leon turned his head away from the fight completely. It was like he was searching for something else and Kasumi did the same, cautiously.  
  
Ryu had finally managed to get to his feet. He saw the two looking around in every direction, facing every tree. Ryu did the same, not sure what he would be looking for. Ryu then watched as four men, dressed like the other Ninja's they had fought only minutes before, appear from behind several different trees.  
  
"We have four over here!" Ryu called out to both Leon and Kasumi.  
  
Leon grunted. "Four more over here as well," he said looking to his left. He then watched as Kasumi spoke quickly.  
  
"We have four more behind us! They are trying to box us in!" she barked out. Two more of the men came out from behind one of the trees as well, making the number fourteen. "Two more just joined the party," she whispered.  
  
"Leon, do you have a letter on you by any chance? One from the tournament?" Ryu asked watching cautiously as the four closest him approached.  
  
"I had one. I found out they were tracking me with it," he said clearing his throat. "So I burned it. I found you with the letter you had, except the tracking stopped, so I waited and luckily stumbled across you two," he said pulling out a small black device that looked like a cell phone. "Had this special made to find those little black tracking bugs. Cost me a lot of money." he said trailing off.  
  
"Show me it later, we have a slight problem on our hands. Stay in close to one another, if any of us get separated, do you best to regroup," Ryu instructed. As he finished, all of the "Ninja" impostors attacked. The four closest Ryu jumped in, throwing a variety of attacks. He blocked one of the attackers strikes, and countered with a hard reverse punch. Before he had anytime to throw another strike, a well placed round house kick landed on his back, making him fall forward.  
  
Leon laughed as the four men that were near him came in. One of the men used a high round kick and Leon ducked down and used a foot sweep taking him down to the ground hard. Another came in right behind the downed man with a punch aimed for his face. Leon grabbed the arm and pulled the man so his back was facing him. Leon wrapped his left arm around his throat and placed his right hand on his head. With a quick move of the arms and hands, his neck broke. He let the body fall hard to the floor.  
  
"Who is next?" he asked with a cold voice. Two of his attackers came in at once both scoring a spinning back kick, sending Leon back towards a large tree. One of the men that was still standing, came in with back fist. Leon, taking the hand pushed it so that the man and him were both facing the tree. He drove with all of his force and might and the man's hard smashed into the tree. He rolled over not getting up.  
  
Kasumi was fighting six of the attackers. She watched as Leon "fully disposed" of two and prayed for them silently. Two of the six started towards her slowly, hands held in a loose fighting stance. The two separated moving in opposite directions as two more of them approached. Kasumi back up slowly, bumping into a large tree. She had no time to get away from the tree as all six made a semi-circle around her and the tree kept her from escaping.  
  
Kasumi, with a thunderous yell, dropped back into her fighting stance. The man farthest to her right came in with a low foot sweep. Kasumi just barely avoiding the attack, jumped straight up throwing a front kick that he blocked. Before Kasumi landed, she felt two hands on her waist. Her body moved awkwardly by the person behind her. She realized what was happening when it happened. The man that was behind her, threw her into the tree.  
  
"She won't hold out long," she heard one of them say. Kasumi got up on all fours when a foot landed on her stomach. She whimpered and gasped for air, rolling on her back.  
  
She looked up at the figures standing over her, all of them still in fighting positions. As quickly as she could, she got to her knees and dove off the ground going in between two of the fighters. Both tried to get a technique off, but were not successful.  
  
Kasumi rolled getting up on her feet. As quickly as she stood up, she performed a spinning wheel kick that hit two of the attackers across the face, causing both to spin in the air until they landed on the ground. Another quickly charged, taking their places. Kasumi reached for her sword, gripping the handle. Just as the man was about to reach her, she brought it out slicing him across the chest. He cried out and fell aside.  
  
The last two men that were fighting Leon, charged together. Leon stepped in with two hard hooks punches that sunk into their stomach's. He then grabbed both of their heads and smashed them together. He let go of the two limp men and turned to see the predicament Kasumi was in.  
  
Leon picked up on of the dead men and hurled it effortlessly at the men attacking Kasumi. The body made contact with three of the men, knocking them to the ground. Leon then charged the man that was fighting Kasumi.  
  
"Now!" he screamed as he got behind the man and pushed him forward. Kasumi side stepped and kneeled as the man came towards her. As he stumbled past, she drove her sword in the back of his knee and twisted. The man cried in agony as the blade broke through his knee cap, making him fall to the ground cradling the wounded leg.  
  
Leon nodded to her then turned to face the three men that had stood up and the man that was still on his feet. Kasumi was back on her feet standing next to Leon.  
  
"Who's next?" she asked smiling a little.  
  
Ryu was spinning on his head, letting his legs extend, making contact with three of the four men. Two of which did not get up. The man that was unharmed kicked Ryu to the ground. The other fighter that was injured from his last attack, stood up. Together, the two cautiously approached him.  
  
"I thought you would have more fight to you then this," Ryu said panting, rising to his knees. The weaker man came in with an ax kick, but long before he ever made contact, Ryu drew his sword and jammed it in his supporting leg's foot. Ryu got up to his feet and as he did, he threw an upper cut that knocked the stronger man in the air. Ryu then jumped after him and grabbed him in mid flight. He then twisted his body so that their heads were pointing towards the ground. Ryu the began to spin with the man locked tightly in his arms. They landed on the ground, Ryu using the man to break his fall. Doing this, Ryu killed him.  
  
He rolled off him and pulled the sword out of the mans foot. He just fell to the ground crying out in pain. Ryu walked over to where the last four men were standing, near Kasumi and Leon.  
  
"It ends now. Leave and let there be no more blood shed," Ryu said placing his sword back in its sheath.  
  
The men nodded in terror. They came in fourteen to three and lost, badly. They watched as a few others that were still alive, some barely, tried getting up. The four went to tend to their wounded as the three left them.  
  
"Do not think we are friends over this," Leon said walking along side them smiling.  
  
"Right you are," Ryu said laughing a little.  
  
Leon looked at them seriously while they walked away from the group they just beat into nothing. "Where are you two headed?" he asked as Kasumi and Ryu both looked at each other a smiled.  
  
"Nanking. We are meeting a few people we can trust. Since we aren't going to kill each other, why don't you join us," Ryu said looking at Leon.  
  
Leon nodded. "Fine with me. I'll have to beat you both after we find the man that sent "those" guys," he said pointing at them with his thumb, not looking back.  
  
Ryu shook his head. "Right. Come on, we must hurry, they will be at the air port soon."  
  
  
  
Both Jann Lee and Lei Fang walked out of a clothing store just outside of the air port in Nanking. Jann had to buy her shoes before they got on the plane, and now just bought her a long red dress with a gold design of a dragon on it, at her request. She also got red high heels that went well with the dress that had straps that wrapped around her ankle.  
  
Jann tried hard not to scream his head off when she constantly asked him questions and what "other" things she "needs" since he took her away from her home.  
  
"So who are we meeting and where?" she asked taking a sip from the drink he had just bought her. It was that new drink "IcE."  
  
"We are meeting people we can trust and where, should be just outside the air port," he said looking for the friendly faces he expected to see, but did not.  
  
"Do they have names?" she asked taking another sip.  
  
"Kasumi Chan and Ryu Hayabusa. I'm sure you know them," he said smiling.  
  
"Really?! I can't wait to see them," she said happily sipping her drink. "Maybe they think we are at another gate," she said looking for the pair.  
  
Jann just looked around not sure what to believe or suspect. "Possibly. But when they say they will meet us at the air port entrance, that's what they mean," he said studying all the people surrounding them.  
  
Lei closely watched Jann as he looked through the sea of people. Almost everyone of them were carrying some type of luggage. Jann looked at her hard for a moment. She didn't like the look he had, screaming on all of his young features. He was frightened. "What is it?" Lei asked quietly.  
  
"I want you to stay right here. I mean right here, do not move from this spot come hell or high water. You do not move, understood?" he said grabbing her arm gently.  
  
"All right, but where are you going?" she asked worriedly. She looked around at all the people walking by them. There was literally hundreds moving in all directions.  
  
"I am going to see if I can find something to stand up on for a second. I want to see if they are lost or something," he said sounding a little sketchy himself.  
  
Lei nodded. "I'll be right here. Don't get lost or anything, please," she said gently touching his face.  
  
Jann was taken by the sudden concern and compassion she had. He brought up his hand and squeezed hers gently. "I'll be back, count on that," he said smiling. Jann knew that she liked him. He knew that she liked him from when they first met. He did admit that he felt the same way for her. She was very beautiful and was smart above that.  
  
"Go on. I'll be waiting here when you get back," she said letting go of him. She watched as he hesitated for a moment. She thought for a moment that he was going to kiss her but was disappointed when he snapped out of his trance and walked off. "I'll be right here," she whispered to herself as he walked off into the crowd.  
  
Jann looked around for something he could stand on, a table, a garbage can, anything. He needed to be able to see over all the people that were around him. There, just in front of him, he saw a garbage can that had a top on it. He moved towards it and climbed up it. With the now heightened view, he saw them. He Saw Ryu and Kasumi wandering the crowds. Kasumi dressed in a pink shirt that had no straps and a denim skirt that fell below her knees. Ryu wore a black wind breaker and running pants.  
  
"Guys! Over here!" he called out waving his arms over his head. He smiled as they saw him and began moving through the crowds in his direction.  
  
They finally reached them with another man. It was Leon. He wore a silk pink shirt and black pants. He had a pair of sun glasses on as well. Jann held back his laughs as Leon walked up to him.  
  
Ryu held up his hands. "Leon is okay with us for now. Some one tried to "fight" us and were taught a lesson worth dying for," Ryu said smirking.  
  
Jann nodded. "Right. Anyway, we have to get back to Lei. She is back this way," he said motioning them to follow him.  
  
"Sorry about the delay too, we had to find some new clothes. Walking around in our previous attire would have brought some suspicion," Kasumi said giggling a little.  
  
Jann nodded but concentrated on getting back to Lei. He did think it was funny, but he wanted to make sure she was still there, safe and waiting.  
  
  
  
Lei turned to face the opposite direction to watch more people walk by. The crowds seemed to be dying down a little. She rubbed her eyes lightly. The night she spent in the hotel near the air port wasn't that good. She kept thinking about that man that tried to. She stopped her thoughts there.  
  
"He didn't, so don't worry about it," she said to herself. She jumped as a large hand fell on her shoulder.  
  
"Did you miss me?" a Russian voice whispered in her ear. She felt something hard press against her lower back. "Go on, scream. I dare you. I'll take your liver with one good clean bullet. Do you know what it feels like to get shot?" Bayman asked driving the weapon deeper in her back.  
  
Lei shook her head, paralyzed in fear. She let her drink fall to the floor. "Please, don't hurt me," she said as he pushed her forward a little. He wrapped his left arm around her shoulder and put on a casual smile. She turned her head and saw his right arm hold a coat. She imagined that under the coat was some type of gun or knife or some device that would probably kill her.  
  
"Cooperate and you'll walk away from this," he said walking her away from where Jann would be coming back. Walking her away from hope of life.  
  
"What do you want?" she asked as he walked her through a parking lot that was used for the air port staff.  
  
He laughed a little. "We never finished what we started," he said growling under his breath.  
  
Lei was petrified. She did not want to die like this. Not by him. She tried to think positively but couldn't. She couldn't until she heard his voice.  
  
"And chances are, you never will," Jann Lee called from behind them.  
  
Bayman turned, making Lei face him as well. Lei lit up with hope as she saw Kasumi, Ryu and. Leon! She couldn't believe Leon was standing beside them. She looked over at Bayman, who's concentration was locked on Leon's. Leon was the same way with Bayman.  
  
"I've been waiting for you, Leon," Bayman spat out. Hate lingered in his voice. He let the coat drop to the ground revealing a Desert Eagle .50. "If you want her so bad Lee, have her," he said with his finger tightening around the trigger of the gun.  
  
"NO!" Jann cried charging him. Lei watched as Kasumi and Ryu both went after him to stop him.  
  
Lei felt something, something she wasn't quite sure how to react to. She tried to move but she felt so heavy. Then she was falling. Everything around her seemed to slow down. She watched as she fell to the ground, as pain wracked her back. The ground was coming faster now. She saw Jann's face flash into her mind. She adored him. The way he looked, fought, spoke, acted and everything about him. She hit the ground and thought no more.  
  
"BASTARD!" Jann screamed as he was stopped by Kasumi and Ryu. Bayman leveled the weapon with Jann and forced him to back away from Lei Fang's fallen form.  
  
Leon stepped up to Bayman. "Let them go. Let them take the girl to a doctor. Then we will finish this once and for all," he said approaching him slowly. "Throw away the gun," he ordered.  
  
"You've aged Leon," he said dropping the gun. "Take your sleeping beauty. I hope she doesn't die, I need to "spend" more time with her," Bayman said snickering.  
  
Jann fought off the urge to kill him where he stood. He knelt beside Lei and gently lifted her from the pavement. Kasumi helped Jann carry her away from the fight that was going to take place. Ryu narrowed his eyes and Bayman and turned to help the others.  
  
Bayman cracked his neck and raised his fists. "Lets see what you've got!" he called out.  
  
"Very well comrade," Leon replied getting in his fighting stance. Bayman came in immediately after his sentence finished. Leon blocked the several punches that were let loosed by Bayman. Leon managed to bring a knee hard into Bayman's gut. He was stunned for a second and Leon kicked him hard with a front kick, sending him back. Sirens were heard approaching now.  
  
"Looks like we will finish this later, Leon," Bayman said standing up, taking his coat and gun. "Till we meet again, friend," he said running off into the crowd of people.  
  
"Till we meet again," Leon repeated running the way Kasumi and the others had gone. He lucked out, thankfully. He was more hungry then in a fighting mood. Food sounded very good to him right now. 


	4. Driven Under

Disclaimer: I do not own DOA or any of it's characters. Though the story is mine and any other characters I choose to put in are mine as well. I haven't played DOA 1 or DOA 3, but I just recently played DOA 2: Hardcore, so this will be based on that story.  
  
  
  
Dead or Alive: The Fight to Live  
  
Chapter 4 Driven Under  
  
A new day was on the horizon and Bass Armstrong, Pro-Wrestler, snored loudly in his bed. He turned over, covering himself with the blanket as he slowly became conscious. The room was rather plain, white walls, white ceiling, and white carpeting. Except there was one poster on his wall that was full of color. And his daughter in a bikini. Bass opened his eyes and looked at the poster and sighed deeply.  
  
"When will you grow out of that?" he asked the picture of his daughter winking at him. He scratched his head and brought his feet over the bed. He stood up, stretching his massive form. Wearing a T-shirt and boxers, he walked over to the bathroom.  
  
Bass looked himself in the mirror of the small room and smiled, revealing his teeth. He looked at his balding head and scratched it lightly. Suddenly the phone began ringing. Bass moaned as he walked out of the bathroom and searched for the missing phone. It kept ringing, hidden somewhere.  
  
"Keep ringing, come on. Keep going," he said to himself looking for the phone. He flipped up his covers and found in laying on the bed next to him. He picked up the small cordless and pressed the talk button. "Hello?" he said clearing his throat.  
  
"Uh, hello Mr. Armstrong. This is Jack Moore, Tina's agent," Jack said clearing his throat as well. "Yesterday, while doing one of her shoots, she vanished. I mean her SUV is still here, but she is gone," he said with concern in his voice. "I was wondering, did she tell you she was going anywhere, or did she call you?" he asked thoughtfully.  
  
"No she didn't. She is gone? None of you know where she went? I mean that was only HER shoot she disappeared from!" Bass screamed over the phone.  
  
Jack staggered with his next words. "Well, Mr. Armstrong, I checked her last transaction, she bought a plane ticket to China. We thought maybe you two were planning a trip or something," he said shakily.  
  
Bass scoffed. "You people probably drove her away with all your commercials and advertising and that loud a junk!" Bass screamed hanging up the phone. He quickly walked to his dresser and pulled a clean white shirt out and a pair of jeans. Quickly putting them on, he found his cowboy boots and slipped them on as well. He grabbed his keys off the dresser near his bed and walked towards the door. There he saw a small white envelope that was slid under his door.  
  
"Wha.?" he whispered kneeing down to pick up the letter. 'Maybe it's from Tina!' he thought.  
  
Bass tore open the letter and narrowed his eyes as he read it.  
  
'Mr. Bass 'Bad ass' Armstrong. Family problems are the worst, aren't they. Tina is safe for now, she managed to fight off one of the other competitors thus far. Shocking, I know. Heh hehe. She did go to China, that is correct. A little help from an anonymous tip of course. She is in Beijing at the moment, getting ready for her "Dead or Alive" tournament that you are invited to.  
  
I will not lie, she is in danger and will not live to see another day by her next fight she will encounter. Consider it like fate. The two are bound to meet. Go to China and rescue your beloved daughter Mr. Armstrong, but do not get yourself killed along the way. Take this letter with you. You will find it useful at some points. That's all the help you will get from me. Your daughter will tell you the rest. Good day, Mr. Armstrong. Heh hehe.'  
  
Bass stood shocked and pissed beyond anything he ever felt before. He was in some sick game with a freak that had set this up. "I'll rip your head off you," he brought himself under control again. He quickly walked out of the door heading towards his black pick up truck.  
  
He unlocked the driver side door and got in. He put the key in the ignition and pulled out of the drive way. As he started down the road, some one broke the rear windshield. He saw a man dressed all in black come up to him with a cord. The man dressed in black wrapped the cord tightly around his neck and pulled back hard.  
  
Bass struggled to loosen the mans grip with his left hand while his right tried to keep the truck from crashing. His foot inadvertently pushed down on the pedal harder and the truck gained speed on the small residential street.  
  
Bass quickly realizing he wouldn't be able to loosen the cord by trying to grab it, shot his left arm back, grabbing the mans hair. He pulled him closer to the back of his seat.  
  
"Get outta my truck!" he screamed slamming on the brakes. The man went forward a little, but then flew back as Bass stepped on the accelerator. The man went over the latch in the back of the truck and hit the asphalt.  
  
A smile appeared on Bass's large face. He reached over to the glove compartment and pulled out sun glasses. He also pulled out a come and brushed his long blonde hair. He turned on the radio and started to make his way to the air port. He was going to go to China and find his daughter, no matter what it cost him.  
  
  
  
Zack had read the letter he had found on the man he fought in the bar. He also finally figured out where he was with the help of tourists. He was in Germany. Though the man he fought was trying to deliver the letter to him because the letter was addressed to him. He felt bad about beating the guy up, but he thought he was looking for a fight.  
  
He had just arrived in Beijing, China. That was where the man that wrote the letter suggested he go. Who ever it was that wrote the letter knew a great deal about him. In one part of the letter, the author suggested that he go easy on the delivery man.  
  
"Heh," Zack chuckled. He found that very amusing, but strange as well. He walked around the crowded air port, making his way towards the entrance. With a tired arm, he held up his hand, signaling a taxi. A cab pulled to the corner and Zack opened the door on the back left. "Take me to a fine hotel driver," he said smiling broadly.  
  
The Chinese driver looked at him oddly. He then spoke quickly in Chinese. Zack was completely at a loss of words on what to say.  
  
"Okay, look, this ain't Rush Hour 2. I ain't givin' you no money to talk English," he said irritated. "Drive me to El Hotela, amigo," he said using his hand to gesture him to start driving.  
  
"Man, are you an idiot," the Chinese driver spoke, turning around to face him. "Amigo? That's Spanish. We in China, pal," the driver said angry at Zack's remarks.  
  
"Just get me to a hotel!" Zack screamed pointing straight ahead. "Hotel!" he screamed as the driver and him began screaming over each other.  
  
"I give you ten American dollars to get out of the car!" the driver screamed.  
  
Zack paused for a second. "I'll give you ten bucks to drive me to a hotel!"  
  
"Twenty to get the hell out of the cab!" he screamed.  
  
"Twenty, boy you a fool," Zack said holding his hand out waiting for the money.  
  
The driver pulled out his earning for the day. "You're lucky, some American woman gave me a twenty, take it and get out!" he screamed handing over the money.  
  
Zack paused as he grasped the money. "American woman? Now we are talkin'. Take me to American woman. Can you handle that padre?" he asked giving the money back. "Here take this money and take me to American woman," he said putting the cash back in the drivers hand.  
  
"Give me fifty dollars," he said holding out his hand.  
  
"AH hell, I'm gettin' ripped off now," he said pulling out his wallet. He took out some money and gave it to the driver.  
  
The driver looked at the money and looked at Zack. "You think I'm stupid? Fifty, not thirty," he said holding out his hand waiting for the extra twenty.  
  
"All you Chinamen are a like," he said giving him the other twenty. "Now drivea," Zack said mockingly. The driver scoffed and pulled away from the curb.  
  
The driver took Zack around the same block for a good twenty minutes before Zack actually realized it. Zack also watched as the meter racked up on cash.  
  
"You sneaky," he cut himself off.  
  
"You never said you wanted to go now," the driver mocked.  
  
"I'm gonna bust your head open. I have never once told a cab driver to spin around the block a few times then take me," he said leaning over the seat.  
  
The driver shrugged. "So sorry, you know all us Chinamen are the same. Bad hearing," he said smiling. The driver finally took Zack to a large hotel that he had taken the woman to. "Here, don't know what floor or if she checked in, but this was the spot," he said. "Twenty-five nineteen," he said holding out his hand.  
  
"You punk ass," he said giving him the money. He got out of the cab and walked to the large hotel.  
  
"No tip!?" the driver said sticking his head out of the window on the left side.  
  
"Shove it little man," Zack said walking inside. The place was obviously for people who had a lot of money. The lobby had a ruby red carpeting and a grand stair case that led up to a pair of elevators. He looked at the ceiling, beautiful painting hung there just like in the church, the... Zack couldn't remember the name, but he knew what he was referring it to. The ceiling was also about forty feet from the ground.  
  
He looked at other people that were in the hotel lobby. All of them wearing some type of suit or for the ladies a dress. He then looked at his own clothes and shrugged at his old pair of jeans and a plain white shirt with a yellow and black sports jacket. The green hair he had didn't help the situation any.  
  
"May I, help you?" a man said approaching Zack from behind.  
  
Zack turned and faced the man. He was wearing a gray suit, with a white button down shirt and a red tie. "Yeah, do you know if a American woman checked in here earlier?" he asked turning, facing the man.  
  
"Yes there was. You are her friend, right? She said she was expecting a visitor," he said walking over to the counter. "She told me to tell you to go up to her room," he said looking at a book of records of the people that were staying at the hotel. "Yes, 24B, second floor," he said pulling out another key. "You can use this to get in," he said handing over the key that looked like a credit card.  
  
"Okay." Zack said taking the card. 'Expectin' me, eh,' he giggled to himself. He walked away from the desk and the man and approached the elevators. He walked up the marbled stairs and was in awe. "This place must cost a fortune," he whispered as he pushed the up button. The doors opened and a man in a red uniform stood inside. Zack waited for him to step out, but he did not. "You comin' out," he said waiting for him to move.  
  
"No, no sir. I uhh, run the elevator," he said smiling a little.  
  
Zack threw his head and held his hands up slightly. "Oh, yeah I heard about you people before. You supposed to be like, 'Good day sir,' and all the stuff," he said stepping inside.  
  
"Uh, that is correct, sir. Which floor..?" He paused as Zack pressed the button himself. "Right, then," the man said just standing there.  
  
A moment later, they were on the second floor. The man cleared his throat and held out his hand. Zack nodded. "Yeah, you want a tip too, huh?" He reached into his back pocket and pulled out loose change. "This is all I got right now, some cab driver ripped me off," he said placing the variety of coins in the mans hand. The man looked shocked at all the change. Zack noticed it as well. "Yeah, lot ain't it? Keep it pal," he said smiling as the doors shut.  
  
Zack turned around and looked at a T intersection. He was standing right where the three paths came together. He looked at the brilliant designs on the red carpeting and saw several desks line the hall with a variety of plants. He looked at a sign that said 20-40 ( that was pointing straight ahead. He walked down the long hall and saw 21A, 22A, and so on. There was no B though. He walked down several more doors until her turned to the other wall. He laughed a little when he saw the B's were on the other side.  
  
Zack walked to the door that said 24B and tried sliding the card through the slot. A small light blinked red and the door remained locked. He tried several more times but the light continued to stay red. He tried turning the handle a little, but it was locked tight.  
  
A door opened and an elderly Chinese woman walked out. "Having trouble?" she said in a heavy accent.  
  
"Nah, the thing won't open. I got it though," he said trying it again.  
  
The elderly woman watched him try a few more times but nothing happened. "Try flipping the card on the other side," she said smiling. Zack did and the light flickered green and the door opened.  
  
"Yeah, told you I got it," he said walking into the room and closing the door. He let his small bag he was lugging around drop to the ground and looked at the room. Two beds were propped against one wall and saw a bag, obviously the woman's, resting on the bed farthest the door. He saw a table with a number of chairs. He walked passed on door and heard water running. "She is in the shower, eh?" he said quietly as he went to the door.  
  
Zack gently turned the door knob and slowly let the door swing open. He walked in on his tiptoes and reached the shower curtain. He quickly pulled it to one side and saw no one in there.  
  
"Huh?" he blurted out, confused. He turned to she a woman staring at him in a fighting stance, looking quite upset. "Wait, some guy told me you were expectin' me," he said holding his hands out.  
  
She didn't respond verbally. Instead she used a spinning back kick and hit Zack into the shower. "Your fighting in the tournament, right?" she asked standing over him.  
  
"Yeah and you are too? Not a surprise," he said as the water soaked him and his clothes. "Wait. Tina? Armstrong?" he said trying to stand up.  
  
"You of all people," she said lowering her hands. "You of all people!" she screamed out walking out of the bathroom.  
  
Zack tried getting out as fast as he could to follow her, slipped several times. "Tina! I don't wanna fight you!" he screamed, still in the bathroom. "Look, we got a room, lets spend some 'quality' time together!" he screamed out, crawling out of the shower/tub.  
  
"With you?! Forget that!" she screamed grabbing her belongings. Zack was now out of the bathroom and stood in front of the door.  
  
"I just want to find out who sent me this letter thingy," he said holding his hands up.  
  
"You got one too?" she asked stopping where she was.  
  
Zack shook his head. "Yup," he said reaching in his bag. He came back up with the letter.  
  
"Something isn't right about all of this. I had to kill some one because of this letter!" she said revealing hers. She looked very upset by it.  
  
"Hey, we can talk about this. Come on, let's sit down and talk this over. No harm comes from talking, right?" he said helping her move over to the table. "Now tell me what happened."  
  
  
  
The plane ride to China was very unsettling for Ein. He couldn't really rest and the hotel he had been staying in with Helena didn't help much either. They left almost as soon as they got to the air port and once they got to China, they went to a hotel to rest. But when Ein woke, Helena had gone, leaving him a note to stay put. He read that note three and a half hours ago. It was now 1:30ish.  
  
"I hope she is okay," he whispered to himself. He had made his bed when he first woke up and was lying on the surfaced of the covers. If you have seen one hotel room, you have seen them all. Two beds and a table rested near a wall. A dresser that held a large TV sat on the opposite side of the two beds. The bathroom was the same as every other hotel. Shower/tub with a sink and a toilet. Even little bars of soap wrapped in little packages with the hotel's logo on it.  
  
A knock at the door brought Ein out of his trace. He got up quickly but cautiously approached the door.  
  
"Ein, its me, Helena. Open the door," she called from the other side of the door.  
  
Still weary from the attack that had happened yesterday, he approached the door. He looked the eye piece and took a look at a woman with blonde hair standing outside. It was Helena all right.  
  
Ein took the chain on the door off and unlocked the dead bolt. He opened the door and Helena walked in quickly. She was wearing a white button down shirt and velvet jeans.  
  
"Where did you go?" Ein asked as he closed the door.  
  
She didn't turn to face him, but instead walked over to her bag near her bed. "I was looking for someone. I couldn't find them, but I managed to pick a few tips. I heard two police officers talking, they said a girl walked into a bar down by Nanking. As she left, several people were dead and a few were hospitalized," she said still looking in her bag.  
  
"Who was it?" he asked walking away from the door, sitting down on his bed to face her.  
  
"It was the woman that killed my mother. Her name is Ayane," she said looking up.  
  
Ein felt very uncomfortable at the mention of her name. "Ayane," he repeated in a soft whisper. Helena looked up tilting her head.  
  
"You know her?" she asked with malice in her voice. Her soft eyes narrowed at Ein and lit up with hate.  
  
"No, but that name. There is something about that name. Sorry it's nothing," Ein said looking back at her. "I am sorry about your mother," he said truly.  
  
Helena relaxed a little. "Thank you. I appreciate that," she spoke quietly pushing a strand of hair that fell in front of her eyes. She laid back on the bed and gazed at the ceiling.  
  
Ein watched her carefully. She sighed deeply as she closed her eyes. "Umm, who are the people you are trying to find?" he asked as she slowly opened her eyes.  
  
"They are a few people we can trust. Maybe help you figure out your past," she said closing her eyes.  
  
Ein stood up quickly. "Then let us go. I would like to meet them," he said going to her side.  
  
"They were supposed to meet us at the air port, earlier today. That is where I was and they never showed," she said sitting up.  
  
"Maybe you put your trust in the wrong people," he said clenching his fists. He was close to finding out the secrets on his past, but the people that could help him were no shows.  
  
Helena giggled a little. "I doubt that. They must have been side tracked. When I arrived there, the police were all over the area. Something happened," she said standing up. "I bet I know where they went. It's an old friend of theirs and can be trusted. I came back to get you," she said picking up her small bag.  
  
Ein did the same with a few items he purchased the night before. "What do you think happened to them?" he said slinging the bag over his right shoulder.  
  
Helena shrugged. "Something serious," she said walking to the door. Ein followed closely. They checked out of the hotel and walked outside into the city streets.  
  
"Where are we going?" Ein asked as crowds of people pushed through them.  
  
"To a restaurant," she said smiling back at him. Ein only looked puzzled. "Don't worry, the owner is a man we can trust," she said walking across the street. Ein paused, but hurried after her when he realized she wasn't going to stop.  
  
They walked for several blocks and Helena stopped at a restaurant that had something written in Chinese on the front of it. It was a small place to eat, only a few tables inside and a few more outside. A counter rested at the back of the building and two people worked on taking down the orders of the customers that were in the restaurant.  
  
Helena walked in quietly and Ein followed the same. She walked up to the counter and smiled at one of the women that were not taking orders.  
  
The woman staggered, but began talking slowly. "Can I help you," she said very slowly.  
  
Helena smiled. "I'm here to see Mr. Lee Chang. Is he here?" she said with a nice smile on her young face.  
  
The woman nodded with a big smile as well. "Yes, yes. He is in back," she said pointing up a small flight of steps towards the kitchen.  
  
"Thank you," Helena said motioning Ein to follow her.  
  
Together they walked up the steps and saw three rooms facing them. The door in the middle and to the right were open but the door to the left was closed. Helena lead the way to that door an knocked slowly. A sound of shuffling was heard inside the room.  
  
"Who is it?" an old voice called from the other side.  
  
"It's me, Helena. Has anyone come to see you, Mr. Chang?" she asked as the door opened. An old man wearing a white robe, opened the door. Blood covered the front of the robe and his hands. "Are you okay?!" she asked looking at him.  
  
"Fine. Who is with you?" he asked pointing towards Ein.  
  
She put up her hand. "He is with me. He is a friend," she said as the old man groaned. His white hair pulled back in a pony tail and his white beard hung just past his neck.  
  
"Come in and close the door behind you," he said as he walked back into the room. Helena gasped as she saw a young girl lying on her stomach with a section of her back opened up.  
  
"What happened?" she asked as a man looked up she did not notice until then.  
  
"We had an accident at the air port. Your Helena, I suppose," the man said sitting down near the bed the girl was on.  
  
"Yes I am. You are.?" she asked uncertain of the man.  
  
"Jann Lee. That is Lei Fang," he said pointing at the girl. "We got into a fight with an unhappy Russian," he said as be brought his knees up to his chest. "Who is that?" he asked looking up at Ein.  
  
"Just a friend," she quickly said.  
  
Lee Chang scoffed. "She will need to lose one of her kidneys," he said looking closely at the wounds. Jann Lee stood up so fast, if anyone in the room would have blinked, they would have missed it.  
  
"Will she be okay?" he asked quickly going over to the bed.  
  
Helena walked over slowly to the young girls unconscious form. Ein closely followed her.  
  
"AH, she'll be fine," Lee Chang said putting his arms up. "You have two kidneys, you can live with one," he said grabbing a sterile knife from a tray he had.  
  
"You can use that?" Ein asked and brought Jann's attention to the knife.  
  
"Yeah, you can use that?" Jann repeated as Lee brought the knife to Lei's back.  
  
Lee nodded. "Yes, I can and will. "I cleaned it thoroughly and soaked it in alcohol. It's a clean knife," he said as he began cutting away at tender flesh. Jann and the rest looked away.  
  
Helena tried speaking when something seemed to squish. "W-where are the others?" she asked bringing up her hand to her mouth.  
  
"Eh?" Lee asked as he removed the kidney from Lei Fang's body.  
  
"The others. Where are they.?" Helena again asked, holding back the bile that was surfacing.  
  
"They went to the air port, looking for you I believe," he said placing down the piece of tissue down on the tray. He then placed a cloth around the tray and moved it to the side. Lee picked up a sewing needle and began closing the open wound on Lei's back. As he finished, Lei began to stir.  
  
"Uhh.." She mumbled. She tensed as Lee brought an ice pack to where Bayman had shot her.  
  
"Lay still," Lee said placing a hand on her exposed back. "Do not move for now," he said motioning Jann to say something.  
  
"My back hurts." Lei said laying as still as she could.  
  
Jann went to he side. Lei turned her head and faced him. "You will be just fine. This man, Lee Chang fixed you up," Jann said, smiling weakly.  
  
"What happened?" she asked drowsily.  
  
Jann sighed. "Bayman, the man we met at your apartment, he followed us, and he shot you," he said grabbing one of her hands and holding it firmly.  
  
"Am, am I going to die?" she asked staring at him heavy with what seemed to be regret.  
  
Jann looked at Lee Chang, who shook his head side to side. "No, no your not," Jann spoke softly. He felt the urge to break down come over him, but he did his best not to show it.  
  
"Then stop talking to me like its my last rights," she said, trying hard to smile. She watched as a tear rolled down his face.  
  
"Okay. Okay, I just was worried," he said gazing down at her.  
  
Lee Chang broke in. "Uh, I have a restaurant to run. Helena, you and your friend can share this room with Jann and Lei. Ryu and Kasumi should be back soon. Oh and Jann, if Lei needs it, there is some pain killers on the dresser," Lee said pointing to an orange bottle. Jann nodded. Lee then took the tray and walked out of the small wore down room and left the four people alone.  
  
Jann pulled a blanket over Lei and watched her closely. "There are many things we need to talk about," he said but was hushed by her hand. She gently placed a finger on his lips.  
  
"Not now. I need my beauty rest," she said giggling as she closed her eyes and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.  
  
Helena and Ein smiled at the two. Helena rarely knew any of them, but what she had heard from Kasumi, the two had felt something for each other but had a falling out, unknown to anyone but Lei Fang and Jann Lee.  
  
Ein and his smile faded. He remembered what Lee Chang had said. Kasumi. Ryu. Why were those names so familiar. Why was the name Ayane so familiar. He was starting to fear the past he didn't know he had. 


End file.
